The Chambers Talks Podcast features conversations between John Chambers, former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco and current founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures, and other leading industry executives and CEOs.
In the first episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John talks with Antonio Neri, President and CEO of HPE. The two discuss leadership during times of crisis, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 global pandemic and how CEOs can prepare now for the “new normal.”
The World Bank’s 14 th President Ajay Banga joins John to talk about where the world is heading and how The World Bank’s new mission under Ajay’s leadership will help us get there. The two discuss the impact of digitization on the world, specifically in developing nations, visions for the future, how innovation can shape the future of our global economy, and more.
In this episode of Chambers Talks, John Chambers is joined by Philippe Wahl, CEO of La Poste Groupe, to discuss what it means to embrace the new digital frontier. As the leader of a centuries-old company, Philippe shares the importance of staying focused on values and culture while also embracing innovation and change.
Tech has the power to solve market problems – but CEOs need to ensure they identify the appropriate and realistic product market fits and not get distracted by hype cycles. John speaks with someone who has done this incredibly well in the world of augmented reality: Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap.
From working at General Motors and PepsiCo, to leading several semiconductor companies, President & CEO of Broadcom Hock Tan knows the value of staying open to new, exciting opportunities. Today, he is taking that mentality and applying it to Broadcom, where innovative ideas and “moonshots” abound.
Under the leadership of Chairman & CEO, Arvind Krishna, IBM has renewed its approach to innovation with acquisitions, investments in emerging tech, and ultimately ignited an exciting new energy throughout the organization. Arvind talks with John about his advice for navigating current disruptions, the remarkable potential of new technologies, and more.
Raj Subramaniam discusses stepping into the role of president and CEO of the iconic FedEx. From the company’s legacy of innovation and its commitment to finding significant points of differentiation for its customers, Raj shares how FedEx will leverage its vast physical network and emerging technologies to continue leading market transitions.
Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, discusses what “tech for good” truly means in practice. With a solid internal innovation engine, a knack for executing strategic acquisitions, and a plan for engaging in more public-private partnerships, Dr. Su and her team are hyper-focused on finding opportunities to use emerging technologies, like AI, to tackle the world’s toughest challenges.
John is joined by three of his JC2 Ventures mentees – Vijay Balasubramaniyan of Pindrop, Mike Fong of Privoro, and Bipul Sinha of Rubrik – to talk about one of today’s hottest topics in tech and business: Cybersecurity. As technology becomes more advanced, organizations and their leaders find themselves under increased pressure to fortify their cyber infrastructure. On episode 23 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, John, Vijay, Mike, and Bipul discuss the importance of addressing the full cybersecurity life cycle, the biggest issues and trends facing the industry today, and the technologies that are driving the future of cybersecurity.
Episode Overview: In episode 22 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, John invites Börje Ekholm, CEO of Ericsson, on the podcast for a discussion about the future of connectivity and how 5G will change the world. By staying close to customers, employees, and stakeholders, Börje and his team are executing a long-term vision to develop the infrastructure needed to “make the unimaginable possible”. Börje emphasizes the importance of remaining flexible and pivoting in the short-term, along with other valuable leadership lessons, like reinventing a company again and again, and how to work with startups and other external partners to drive innovation.
Episode Overview: In episode 21 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, Chairman and CEO of Revolution, Steve Case, joins John to talk about their shared passion of building startup communities across the entire country, beyond traditional hubs like Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. As an entrepreneur himself – Steve co-founded AOL – Steve understands the importance of venture capital in propelling ideas forward and causing disruption. That’s why he’s now on a mission to level the playing field by getting more capital to more people in more places. On Chambers Talks, Steve shares how we can all join together to support and celebrate entrepreneurs and drive innovation in a more inclusive way.
In episode 20 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, Tim Höttges, joins John to chat about the always leading mentality that helped position Deutsche Telekom as the leading telecommunications company in Europe. Tim and John share the belief that agility in today’s business environment is key to survival. That willingness to adapt and undergo significant transformation has allowed Deutsche Telekom to become one of the top German brands worldwide and achieve a market capitalization of $95 billion. By eliminating ambiguity from decision-making and acting as the “Chief Ambiguity Officer” – something other CEOs should try – to prioritizing digitization and focusing on what Tim calls the “four pillars of transformation”, Deutsche Telekom is not only optimizing value for its customers but engineering success for the future. A tech visionary, Tim reveals his recipe for success on Chambers Talks.
In episode 19 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”, John is joined by Idalene “Idie” Kesner – Dean of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business – to discuss the importance of cultivating an entrepreneur mindset, especially in universities, amidst the current business environment.
Chambers Talks Episode 18: Continuous Buy-In to Drive Innovation with Hans Vestberg of Verizon. John and Hans Vestberg talk about the unique challenge Hans faced when he first took the helm as Chairman and CEO of Verizon in 2018 on the 18th episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”. Hans describes lessons learned from taking over an already successful company – he did not have to fix the ship, but he also recognized the importance of disruption. He developed a three-pronged plan to focus resource and investment allocations on the current business, future business, and emerging business. What’s more, he sat down with hundreds of employees 1:1 to understand how this vision aligned with theirs. Hans’ insights about the importance of continuous buy-in and communication with stakeholders will leave listeners taking notes for their next leadership meeting.
John and Brian Moynihan – Chairman and CEO of Bank of America – reflect on what the year ahead will bring for businesses on episode 17 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”.
John hosts a discussion with another West Virginian native on Episode 16 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers.” Senator Joe Manchin has long been known for his bipartisanship approach to politics. The American people and government have never been more divided and having the courage to lead “down the middle” is what will lead to stability and long-term success. Senator Manchin shares his advice with listeners on leadership, how to anticipate change, and why West Virginia is a model for other States looking to bring government, business, and citizens together for the greater good.
John and Arianna Huffington have a candid discussion about the importance of health and wellness, gender diversity, and more on episode 15 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”. Arianna has disrupted the wellness industry as the founder and CEO of Thrive Global. Her takeaways in this episode of the podcast about how to take the end customer from awareness to action will leave listeners with ideas for how to grow and scale companies and ideas.
For the first time since the launch of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John talks with a handful of CEOs he is mentoring through JC2 Ventures. Gustavo Sapoznik (founder and CEO of ASAPP), Zac Bookman (co-founder and CEO of OpenGov), and Ragy Thomas (founder and CEO of Sprinklr) are three entrepreneurs who are no strangers to risk-taking, both in business and professionally. However, they have all learned that risk-taking is only possible when the entire team is aligned to the same objectives and goals. Give the episode a listen for more leadership lessons learned on the importance of culture and communication – and how both enable and reinforce vision and strategy.
Episode 13 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers” features John’s lifelong friend and fellow West Virginian, Senator Shelley Moore Capito. Economic development, encouraging entrepreneurship, and driving innovation in the Mountain State are top of mind for both leaders, who agree the State is “Almost Heaven.” Senator Capito candidly offers listeners a glimpse into the life of a senator, including lessons learned about achieving balance personally, professionally, and across the aisle.
On Episode 12 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John welcomes Padmasree Warrior, Founder and CEO of Fable, for a discussion about how to identify consumer trends and shifts in the way people live and work to find business success. Innovation happens at the speed of the Internet and Padma offers actionable insights for how to stay at the forefront, highlighting experiences from her time working side-by-side with John, to her time taking a Chinese startup public in three short years, to her new chapter now starting her own business.
Chambers Talks Episode 11: Video Communication Now and in the Future with Eric Yuan of Zoom
Video communication is here to stay. John has been saying this for a long time, but the COVID-19 pandemic thrust video as the main form of business continuity into the forefront of every CEO’s mind. In episode 11 of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” listeners will hear from Eric Yuan, the Founder & CEO of Zoom Video Communications. With a culture focused entirely on customer and employee happiness, Eric and his team are at the forefront of innovation as many companies plan a hybrid workplace model in the future.
Digitization has the power to change companies – even 174-year-old companies. John talks with long-time friend and colleague Cedrik Neike, CEO of Digital Industries at Siemens, for the tenth episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers.” By combining the power of data, cloud to edge, AI, and 5G, Siemens is helping its customers across industries create digital twins, so they can pivot overnight and stay ahead of the next market transition. Tune in for more.
The ninth episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers” features an engaging conversation about the similarities between business and collegiate athletics. As the Head Coach of West Virginia University’s successful D1 Football Program, Coach Neal Brown is an expert at developing talent on and off the field with a track record for winning. Listen to the full episode for more leadership lessons.
India is the most strategic partner in the world to the U.S. – and our friends in India urgently need our help fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As experts have said, this pandemic is truly not over for anyone until it is over for everyone.
How do companies adapt when change is thrust upon them? On the next episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John turns to John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry, to answer that very question. Listen for lessons learned about pivoting, changing direction, and how you get employees, stakeholders, and the market to buy-in to a complete business model shift.
John catches up with Bill McDermott, CEO of Service Now, for the sixth episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers.” Check it out for insights about the future of work – which is a moving target for all CEOs leading through the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as for tips for how to lead with empathy and rich stories about how to find strength during setbacks and challenging times.
In this “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers” episode, John and Jim Whitehurst, President of IBM, discuss the importance of co-creating innovation. Listen for more on how companies can capture the next market transitions by creating cultures that encourage risk taking and debating, while also being structured around common strategy.
John Chambers talks with Tony Werner, President of the Technology, Product, Xperience organization within Comcast Cable, on Episode Four of “Chambers Talks,” A podcast series.
John talks with guest Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, about how cloud is a critical enabler of digital transformation for companies across every industry, and how a customer centric-mindset can help companies succeed in the long run.
John sits down with Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop, for the next episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers”. Tune in to hear John and Jay talk about the future of transportation, which Virgin Hyperloop is enabling with the first technology disruption in the industry in almost a century.
In the first episode of “Chambers Talks: A Podcast Series with John Chambers,” John talks with Antonio Neri, President and CEO of HPE. The two discuss leadership during times of crisis, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 global pandemic and how CEOs can prepare now for the “new normal.”
